Re: Can't access PC on home network

Lester Lane wrote:
Hi all. Before I go mad can someone please provide me a list of things
that must be config'd on all PCs on a home network? I have a belkin
firewall/router that is the connection to the internet and then 2 pcs
and a laptop. In windows under My Network Places produces a tree with
the domain but nothing beyond that. Gateway addresses point to the
router and the DNS is the ISP's. I have IPX, TCP running too - what
more is there to do please? Oh - running XP Home and Pro editions.

I have a feeling it may be the DNS or WINS config. I don't run WINS
as I do not have a PC that acts as a server. and DNS is external -
again if no server how can I solve internal DNS? Thanks.


Remove all network protocols such as IPX. You should only have TCP/IP installed. In the TCP/IP Properties, set the IP address/DNS assignments to Automatic.

Here are general network troubleshooting steps. Not everything may be applicable to your situation, so just take the bits that are. It may look daunting, but if you follow the steps at the links and suggestions below systematically and calmly, you will have no difficulty in setting up your sharing.

For XP, start by running the Network Setup Wizard on all machines (see caveat in Item A below).

Problems sharing files between computers on a network are generally caused by 1) a misconfigured firewall; or 2) inadvertently running two firewalls such as the built-in Windows Firewall and a third-party firewall; and/or 3) not having identical user accounts and passwords on all Workgroup machines; 4) trying to create shares where the operating system does not permit it. Read through the general networking tips below and if you still are having difficulties, MVP Hans-Georg Michna has an excellent small network troubleshooter here:

http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm

Taking the time to go through his troubleshooter will usually pinpoint the source of the problem(s).

Here are some general networking tips for home/small networks:

A. Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area Network (LAN) traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means allowing File/Printer Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the Network Setup Wizard on XP will take care of this for those machines.The only "gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you aren't running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with "Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton 2006/07) which acts as a firewall, then you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I usually configure the LAN allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would substitute your correct subnet. Do not run more than one firewall.

B. With earlier Microsoft operating systems, the name of the Workgroup didn't matter. Apparently it does with Vista, so put all computers in the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control Panel, Computer Name tab.

C. Create identical user accounts and passwords on all machines. If you wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into one particular user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The instructions at this link work for both XP and Vista:

Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) - http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm

D. If one or more of the computers is XP Pro or Media Center:

1. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user accounts/passwords on all computers.

2. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the Simple File Sharing enabled.

Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it matters in your situation.

I think it is a good idea to create the identical user accounts/passwords in any case when Vista machines are involved and it isn't an onerous task with home/small networks.

E. Create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users' home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the Shared Documents folder.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
.

Relevant Pages

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